If you want to grab more boards, here is the best game to improve rebounding skills. Can you guess what schoolyard game it is? (Hint: It has a number in it.)
A lot of players often incorrectly believe that rebounding should be the job of the big men.
They believe that guards, specifically point guards, don’t need to care a lot about grabbing boards.
But this isn’t true. Every position should rebound.
When players collapse to grab boards, it’ll prevent the other team from getting second-chance shots or putbacks on the defensive end. Rebounding here can also lead to fastbreaks.
On the offensive end, if guards (along with bigs) try to get the rebound, then they may get another opportunity to score.
This is why every player should put emphasis on rebounding.
What Does LaMelo Ball Do To Work On Rebounding?
So, to learn how to become a better rebounder as a guard, let’s take a look at LaMelo Ball.
Ball is one of the best rebounding guards in the league.
He’s young and this is why his numbers thus far are impressive.
In two seasons, he is averaging 6.4 rebounds per game (this is around how much most forwards average, by the way).
But how did Ball become such a good rebounder? What did he do to develop this skill?
Well, after recording his first career triple-double, he told reporters in a post-game interview that rebounding is instinctual to him because he played a lot of 21 when he was younger:
“I played a lot of 21 growing up, so it’s just a whole lot of basketball. It’s pretty much just instincts.”
Yup. That’s how this point guard improved his rebounding.
The Best Game to Improve Rebounding Skills
The great news about this is that you can do it too. You just have to play a lot of 21 (and master the fundamentals of the skill) to apply the movements or steps of rebounding.
21, when played regularly, can also make fighting and chasing for rebounds second nature because it’s used a lot in the game.
If you don’t know what 21 is, it’s a schoolyard basketball game. It’s pretty simple to play as well.
How to Play 21
Basically, a player will start off shooting the ball at the free-throw line (or the three-point line if you’re that good).
If they make the shot, they get to continue shooting free-throws until they miss (some variations of the game will only allow 3 or 5 made free-throws).
If they miss a free-throw, the other players have to fight for the rebound so that they can have possession of the ball.
From here, it’s a free-for-all game until someone scores and the process repeats. The first person to score 21 points wins.
Additionally, you can also play 21 by yourself.
You would start off by shooting the free-throw. Once you miss, you have to sprint in to rebound the ball and then make a basket as quickly as you can.
From there, you go back to the free-throw line and repeat the steps.
Keep doing this until you score 21 points.
Final Thoughts
Rebounding is an important skill to have and 21 can help you improve that skill.
It’ll give you real game experience and make rebounding instinctive.
So, play more 21 with your buds (or by yourself) and become an exceptional rebounder.